GRASSROOTS NEBRASKA |
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Published August 2000 |
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Custer County B&B offers scenic serenity | |
By MARY ETHEL EMANUEL | |
For Grassroots Nebraska | |
A skittery stray kitten was mewling piteously from beneath my car as a lightning storm of biblical proportions lit up the dark western sky. I was down on all fours next to the car murmuring in a manner that I hoped the quaking kitty would interpret as comforting. After resisting all attempts to be lured out, it suddenly darted under a spacious wrap-around porch at the Dempster House B&B near Comstock. Oh, well. It was dry and out of the wind under there, in any case. And I had every reason to suspect that Henry Nuxoll, co-owner of the Dempster House, would be as willing to welcome the homeless kitten as much as he welcomes guests to the refurbished 104-year old B&B that perches proudly atop a high hill in the ranch country of central Nebraska. Nuxoll seems to be a gentle, thoughtful man…a man who fully understands the importance of second chances. The Dempster House B&B is located on the 2nd Wind Ranch, so named because this is the second time Nuxoll has owned the land. Through hard work and faith, Nuxoll was granted a second chance and was able to reacquire the same land he had lost some years before. Today, the 2nd Wind is the site of the newest attraction in Custer County, and Nuxoll hopes it will play a major role in preserving a part of American history. It’s appropriate for the ranch to have the world “wind” in its name since the part of American history Nuxoll intends to preserve has to do with windmills. Lots of windmills. Nearly 40 windmills from seven states have been erected, comprising the largest collection in the world. Nuxoll, and his business partner Roland Shafer of nearby Ord, anticipated having 125 windmills installed in a year’s time when the ranch will host a windmill World Trade Fair. “At first I collected windmills as a hobby. Then it became an investment,” said the 40-some-thing Nuxoll. “And then it became an addiction,” he added with a laugh. “It’s important to me to preserve and maintain this aspect of Americana. Windmills are said to have been more instrumental in settling the West than the gun itself. I also like to watch cars slow down as they drive by and see people smile when they see the windmills,” he said. Speaking of smiles…if there’s a storm in the west while you’re there, consider it a gift from the gods. It’s pure and simple magic to hunker down on the porch and witness the sight of dozens of windmills backlit by lightning flashes. Even if the night is clear, it’s more than likely a sunset framed by the windmills will make you smile and gasp with delight. The oldest windmill at the 2nd Wind Ranch, and in the state, is an original 1896 Aermotor. Soon an 80-foot windmill will be erected and thus become the tallest windmill in the state. To give you a sense of scale, the average windmill currently in us averages 20 to 30 feet tall, according to Nuxoll. At one time there were 500 companies across the nation that manufactured windmills. Today there are just a handful. One of the few remaining windmill manufacturers is Dempster; a Dempster plant in Beatrice still produces windmills. The Dempster House B&B at the 2nd Wind Ranch is, of course, named for that manufacturer. And in the B&B’s living room you might assume that a turn-of-the-century photograph of a stern-faced man would be a Nuxoll ancestor, but you’d be quite wrong. You’re not gazing at the visage of an earlier Nuxoll newly immigrated from Germany and seeking a new life in the New World. You’re looking at Mr. Dempster of windmill fame. Within the very comfortable Dempster House is the Homestead Restaurant. The restaurant serves meals from 11 A.M. to 9 P.M. on Thursday through Sunday. Nuxoll said the restaurant serves the kind of hearty home cooked meals that would have been served to the family of homesteaders who built the house in 1897. Meals range from steak to fish to chicken, from sandwiches to soups to salads, plus hamburgers named for windmills: the Dempster, the Aermotor, and the Fairbury. The ice-cream confections at the restaurant would probably not have been regular fare 100 years age, but, hey, modern conveniences can add a lot to appreciating the past! Patrons can dine inside in the remodeled kitchen, in a window-lined addition to the house, or they can opt for porch seating to view the lovely countryside. If you eat outside you might just hear the occasional shrieks of paintballers who dart through a heavily wooded area across a lane from the B&B. Just a few yards from the porch a herd of long-horn cattle graze along the fence while attended by the prize-winning bull named Eliminator. The herd shares the pasture with a covered bridge. Three tepees off in the distance are available for over-night lodging if you eschew the comforts of a well-appointed room in the B&B. Also on the 2nd Wind Ranch is the Crosswind Mercantile general store. This salvaged and remodeled barn tempts shoppers with photography, candles, dolls, aprons, hats, homemade food, clothes, crafts, paintings, cards, ceramics, beadwork and much more. Over 65 crafters and artisans, mostly from Nebraska, display and sell their work at the Crosswind. The store is open 11 A.M. to 9 P.M., Thursday through Sunday. Nuxoll and his partner Shafer are committed to preserving the past, to offering quality lodging and tasty meals. They’re also committed to revitalizing Comstock, population 130. A fire a couple years ago destroyed two businesses which have not been replaced. That leaves Comstock with three businesses, those being, as Nuxoll, “a bar, a pop machine and a pay phone.” Two very pretty parks in tiny Comstock certainly contribute to the quality of life, but they don’t enhance the economy. Jobs enhance the economy; Nuxoll and Shafer have hired several local people to work in the general store, to cook and serve as waitresses in the restaurant and to clean the B&B. Customers enhance the economy. Satisfied customers spread the word, yielding more satisfied customers. If a comfortable B&B in a serene setting, good food, good service, a general store, longhorns, a covered bridge, teepees, paintball…or the windmills…fail for some odd reason to attract you to the 2nd Wind Ranch, would a family-oriented festival with a hot young country western star do the trick? What if the performance was preceded by hot-air balloon rides, powered parachute rides, horse and buggy rides, kite flying and food booths? Just a few weeks ago well over 3,000 people enjoyed an outdoor concert with Brad Paisley at the First Annual Comstock Windmill Festival. Nuxoll is already planning for the second festival next year. Whether or not Paisley will be back, you can be assured that another outstanding musical act will grace the stage. “I want families and friends to be have fun at the Comstock Windmill Festival. And when people think of windmills I want them to think of Comstock,” Nuxoll said. The 2nd Wind Ranch is three miles north of Comstock (turn north just before the baseball field) and one mile east. Rooms at the B&B, two with a shared bath, cost between $45 and $75. Tepees rent for $7 per person per night. The telephone number is 1-800-658-4443. The Web site address is www.windmillenterprises.net. When you go to the ranch-and I highly encourage you to do so-pick out a rocker on the porch and look around for the kitten. I hope it decided to stick around and get its own second chance at the 2nd Wind Ranch. | |
